Welcome to Litsy!

Bk11 of this years #BookMail is a unique horror novel. Jack Sparks died while writing this book. Researching the occult for his new book, he‘d already triggered a furious Twitter storm by mocking an exorcism he‘d witnessed. Then there was the 40 seconds of chilling video that he claimed he didn‘t make yet was posted on his YT account. Nobody knew what happened to Jack in the days that followed, until now.

According to the tag line, this is the most chilling and unpredictable thriller of 2016 - good choice for Halloween .
Wrong.
From the blurb I was also expecting a lot of social media elements (which I love in books!), but no, there's a few mentions but no real visuals of the socials.
Do I feel let down by this book? Yes, however I can push my expectations aside and admit, if you're looking for silly horror then this is pretty decent.

This book was a trip. Ya the main character was awful but it made so much sense. I really enjoyed it.

I was a little worried when I saw this had a 'found footage' vibe but now that I'm reading it I get it. Also I can see why reviews say the main character is the worst because he is but jeez the way they present the narration is pretty awesome so far.

What a crazy book! I didn‘t find it particularly scary, but it was fun. Had a few creepy moments, but the I hated the narrator so much that it kept things from getting spooky. The book tells the story of Jack‘s last days, as he was researching the occult. There are ghosts, an exorcism, violent deaths, ghostly YouTube videos...it was a wild ride.

Really enjoying this book so far and only 20% in. It‘s keeping me just spooked enough, making me laugh just enough, and has me continually asking enough questions to keep me engaged.

“Old-school horror tropes with social media addiction in a real page-turner.” #thecabininthewoods #horrorseason @Klou

Eyelids are swollen from surgery so using audible and getting caught up on recommendations

Social media. Ego. The Supernatural. With more than one unreliable narrator, this book will keep you guessing what is truth and what can be disproved. This was generally creepy, but what people find frightening is quite subjective. I found Blair Witch terrifying which is why I think this worked for me. The last 5th ramps up the craziness to 11. This was a highly entertaining read.

#popsugarreadingchallenge2020: A book about or involving social media

I enjoy reading books with unreliable narrators and saying Jack Sparks is one is an understatement. The book is written like Jack actually wrote it and has inserts from his brother, who edited it. Jack traveled the world to prove the supernatural doesn't exist and laughed during an exorcism. He then becomes convinced that Maria is coming after him and the book shows his slow descent into madness OR how the supernatural does exist.

I‘ll start this off bluntly: by the midway point, I skipped the end in order to get to the point of the main character finally dying. At its heart, this would be an interesting commentary on how one views the world and just how unreliable our narration on that world can be, but for a horror, there was way too much time spent navel-gazing on this, and nowhere near enough actual suspense/scare.

📖 Tagged
📽️ Dracula
🎶 Thriller by Michael Jackson

#manicmonday @JoScho

All I can say is... YES. A million times yes! I inhaled this book. I am a true lover of the “found footage” horror genre and this is the literary form of that. I absolutely loved falling into this book headfirst. It‘s creepy, upsetting and freaky! if you‘re thinking about it, DO IT. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Next up! I have had this on my shelf forever! Looking forward to finally starting it tomorrow.

This had an interesting found footage style to the writing. There were a couple of creepy moments but mainly it was more interesting than scary. It's a fun read.

I don't have my regular D&D session today so this is my afternoon plan. I'm enjoying the style of this book so far and hoping for some good creepy moments.

I enjoyed this one. Jack Sparks is a character that you will love to hate and will want to punch in the face more than once during this book 😆 I didn‘t find this one particularly scary overall but there are definitely some good creepy parts, considering it all starts with an exorcism. It is fast-paced and I laughed quite a few times. The ending was a little off for me but overall A good read! 4 👻👻👻👻

Sunday evening 📚 and 🍺

Just didn‘t work for me. Thought it started strong, but the story just sort of stalled and the snark got old fast. Moving on.

Day 5
I accepted the challenge of posting the covers of 7 books I love, no explanations, no reviews - just the covers.

This was highly readable, but in the end it didn‘t blow my socks off. The payoff didn‘t feel complete for some reason, and the ending felt oddly abrupt. Might be good if you‘re looking specifically for some spooky reading, but I preferred Grady Hendrix‘s “My Best Friend‘s Exorcism,” which this book reminded me of quite a bit.

There‘s no chance at all I‘m going to finish Atonement tonight, so I‘m calling it a month. I have to say... I‘m pretty impressed with my stats for July.

Look at how much I HAVE NO LIFE, y‘all. 😂

22 books finished:

8 paper books
3 ebooks
11 audiobooks

7541 pages
142 audio hours

I had five 5-star reads, all shown above, plus the tagged book which was damn near 5 stars.

Ooooo, creepy! Totally gripped by this book so far. Dare I read another chapter before bed?!? 👻

Holy shit. This audiobook was very entertaining, and maybe a little too scary in places for me, since I‘m a giant weenie. But honestly: well-written, funny, gross, super twisty, and did I mention creepy?? The narrator does a fantastic job as well.

Much like Jack‘s experience in the story, there were a few times when listening to this book that my gooseflesh had gooseflesh. 😱

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2

I‘m only a little bit into this, and though I‘m laughing quite a bit, I am already thinking I may not be able to listen to it at night. 😱

This was so good! Just the creepy read I needed on this dreary Maine evening.

#riotgrams #day24 - #readinonesitting

Loaning this one to @Dempsey while she goes on a trip for the week.

1. Paddington Bear
2. (Read in 2017) The tagged book. (Published in 2017) Ill Will by Dan Chaon
3. I have several. LOL
- Kiera from the Thoughtless series.
- Amy from Gone Girl
- Rachel from Girl on The Train
4. Throne of Glass series by SJM
@MrBook

#tuesdaytidbits
@JenlovesJT47

First up for #24in48

This book is one of the few books that has actually scared me while reading it. Even though you can see where parts of the story are going the dread the tale creates is incredible. The visuals are so clear in my head of the first scene (set in a church) that it freaks me out thinking about it! The story telling method employed here grabs you instantly and just well it‘s great, really really great 😁

These kindle deals were too good to pass up!

Some good books on sale today! #blackfriday #tbr #amazon #kindle

Put simply, this book was amazing. I've read a couple of Mr. Arnopp's stories before which all have had brilliant twists, and after finishing this one, I want to start it all over again, knowing what I know now. With an adaptation on the horizon, I hope it lives up to this. But until then, I think this will be a regular Halloween read. Thank you @JasonArnopp 😁

Here is my attempt at bookish Haiku (5-7-5)Thanks for the tag @julesG

I‘ve posted this under my favourite recent horror read “The Last Days of Jack Sparks”

I tag @ephemeralwaltz @TheBookAddict @Sha0102 to come up with a better #HalloweenHaiku than me (shouldn‘t be too hard)!

Loving the lengths @JasonArnopp has went to make this book as realistic as possible! 😁

The Last Days of Jack Sparks is one of the best horror novels I have read in a long time. Like Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill there were moments in the novel where, after reading them, I was genuinely afraid of the dark. I may also have had an eerie dream or two over the course of reading this novel. In short, the novel is about a Jon Ronson type (but an a-hole version) who sets out to disprove a demonic possession. What could go wrong, right?

Time for a ghost story 👻👻 #littensdressedinblood

This was an intense and fast paced read. Jack Sparks is an asshole journalist seeking to find proof of the supernatural. The story does a great job at using horror to examine the binary nature of social media, celebrity, and the human ego.

#septembowie #day10 - #ashestoashes

For a book that gives away the game in the title (and not in the ironic "John Dies at the End" way), this one has a lot of tricks up its sleeve. Finishes like a cross bwtween Doctor Who (apt given the author) and Neil Gaiman.

Went to the bookstore today. Couldn't resist these on the buy 2 get 1 free table....#bookhaul

Long time no post! 😬 Traveling this weekend and horror of horrors I forgot my books! Hunky took me to B&N to get one, and I bought this one on the recommendation of a worker. It sounds like my jam! 🍓 Any of you littens read it? Did you like it? 🙃

I couldn't put this book down. It's an interesting twist on the unreliable narrator and it's actually quite creepy in parts. Also it is partly based on Brighton which made me miss home.

I just finished this one and all I can say is it was amazing. Think the Exorcist crossed with Interstellar. The narrator is a highly skeptical journalist on a mission to prove there is no supernatural or after life. Yet, after he laughs during a 13 yr old's exorcism some crazy stuff starts happening which may make him rethink his convictions. I found myself turning on extra lights as I read parts of this book. Definitely an Arnopp fan for life!

I'm only 50 pages in and this book has me hooked. Exorcisms, demons, a skeptical narrator and a gradual buildup that I know is going to lead to something crazy. Can't wait to get home and read more 📖📚

I just downloaded The Last days of Jack Sparks again from my audible account. I have been think about this book for a couple months now wanting to revisit it. I looked up to see what else Jason Arnopp had available in audio format and found this free 10 interview with. It's pretty cool! Looking forward to revisiting Jack Sparks this week!